Release #243-98

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Marilyn Mode (212) 374-6700 (NYPD)

"Tuesday morning, New York City lost another outstanding police officer and father," Mayor Giuliani said. "Anthony Mosomillo, a 14-year veteran of the Police Department, was shot and killed while attempting to make the streets safer for us all. This was a murder that should have never happened. The man who took Officer Mosomillo's life was a parolee who never should have been released from prison. In the face of this tragedy, New York must move to end parole now.

"Police Commissioner Safir and I have been to far too many hospitals with too many police officers who have been shot and seriously injured by people on parole," the Mayor continued. "There is no reason for that. If New York did not have parole Tuesday's shooting would not have taken place. Jenna's Law, which is supported by Governor Pataki and the New York State Senate, would move one step closer to truth in sentencing by increasing time served from one-third to six-sevenths of their sentence. The new legislation would also eliminate parole for first-time violent felony offenders. I call on the State Assembly to move on this important legislation."

The Police Department's End Parole Now report offers a comprehensive study of the State parole system and the number of parolees involved in New York City crimes. The report found that:

• of the 14 police officers killed in the line of duty since 1994, five have been murdered by parolees;
• there were 12,081 arrests in 1997, involving 8,762 individuals on parole;
• parole violators and conditional release violators accounted for 23 percent of total admissions to New York State prison in 1997;
• a recent State Department of Correction study of inmates released to parole in 1993 concluded that 44 percent of parolees were returned to State prison within three years of release.